On-Going Treatment For Seizure
In the majority of seizure cases treated with first-line drugs for seizure control, effects are desirable. Patients experience lesser attacks of seizure and are more likely to have very little to no altered behaviors and movements.
However, this does not say that all patients who are prescribed with first-line drugs respond very well. To a number of patients, additional drug options may prove very beneficial when previous therapies fail to reduce or control seizures.
Felbamate
It is not clear how Felbamate prevents the occurrence of seizure. Nevertheless, it is used in treatment of partial seizures in both children and adult patients.
Caution is often observed when using Felbamate in children as this usually cause serious side effects such as stomach pain and chills to occur. This drug is most effective when used by adult patients and in very young patients who have Lennox-Gestaut syndrome, a type of severe epilepsy affecting children.
Common side effects of felbamate use include nausea, indigestion, vomiting and stomach pain, headache, sleep problems and loss of appetite and associated weight loss. Excluding insomnia and weight loss, all side effects usually go away once the body adjusts to the effects of the drug.
Gabapentin
The mechanism behind the effects of gabapentin is yet to be known. It is often used in adjunct with other epilepsy drugs. It is comparably less effective in treating epilepsy but it has fewer side effects which make it a good treatment option. Side effects of gabapentin use include dizziness, headache, fatigue, drowsiness, foot swelling and weight gain.
Lamotrigine
Lamotrigine is another drug for epilepsy whose exact mechanism for seizure prevention is poorly understood. Nevertheless, it is a very effective adjunctive treatment option for a wide range of seizures. It can be used to control symptoms of partial seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and absence seizures. It is most effective when used in secondary generalized partial seizures. It is also frequently added to the existing drug therapy of children with Lennox-Gestaut Syndrome.
Common side effects observed among users of this drug include rash, dizziness and drowsiness, insomnia, double vision, headache as well as nausea.
Levitiracetam
Levitiracetam is an add-on drug which is often used in combination with other AEDs or Anti-Epileptic Drugs that work to treat generalized seizures in adults. In rare cases, this is used for Lennox-Gestaut Syndrome as stand-alone drug therapy or as an adjunctive therapy. Unlike most AEDs, Levitiracetam is not known to cause adverse effects when used with other types of drugs.
Side effects of this drug are relatively mild. Common side effects include sleepiness, unsteadiness, weakness, dizziness, anxiety, mild agitation and depression.
Tiagabine
Tiagabine targets a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA to prevent any abnormal activities of neurons. It is an add-on drug that is often used by children older than 12 years old as well as adults who have partial seizures.
This drug is well-tolerated by most people who use it. Common side effects include headache, dizziness, inability to concentrate, tremor and shakiness and sleepiness.
Other additional AEDs often prescribed include, Topiramate, Zonisamide, Benzodiazepines, Phenobarbital, Primidone, Lacosamide and Refinamide.
Seizures
What Are The Two Main Types Of Seizures?
Seizure Disorder Treatment Options
How To Diagnose And Treat Seizures
The Most Common Causes Of Seizures
Seizure And Its Long-Term Effects
Absence Seizures – A Different Kind Of Seizure
Seizures
Absence Seizures – A Different Kind Of Seizure
... are more synapses or gaps between nerve cells in developing brains. This explains the fact that children tend to outgrow this condition once they reach the stage when their brains become fully developed. Onset usually begins early, during the prenatal, perinatal or postnatal stages, and is predominantly ...
... diseases like: Alzheimer s disease Advanced liver disease Epilepsy Dementia Hereditary diseases Ailments in the nervous system Infections that affect the brain such as: Encephalitis Bacterial meningitis Brain abscess Encephalitis Kidney failure like chronic renal failure When it comes to injuries, the ...
Generalized Seizures – Types And Symptoms
... on side, resulting in a type called complex partial, seizure which is often considered an aura. The abnormal electrical impulses quickly spread to the other side of the brain, often ending up with transient total brain malfunction, causing the symptoms mentioned above. Meanwhile, primary tonic-clonic ...
... uncoordinated movements of different parts of the body, rigidity and stiffness of muscles, and loss of muscle tone. Each of these symptoms represent a particular type of seizure but may also be present in all types of seizures. The final stage of seizure is not without symptoms. Prolonged loss of consciousness, ...
... in actual attacks. A diagnosis can be completed once all seizure type conditions are ruled out and when the condition presented by the patient confirms the common symptoms seen among psychogenic seizure patients. This type of seizure, although not really as serious as tonic-clonic and other advance forms ...